Petluri captures countywide spelling bee

Sidney West Elementary School fifth grade student Salena Petluri came out on top once again at the Cheyenne County Spelling Bee held at West Elementary.

Petluri beat out 23 other contestants and not only correctly completed her word (renegade) in the fifth round but also spelled the championship word, Olympian, correctly and confidently.

Two rows of boys and girls sat patiently waiting to see who would be victorious in a war of words Wednesday afternoon with an audience consisted of parents, teachers and those who just like a good show.

The first round started off with difficulty. Stoic, knapsack, catkin, foyer and borax were among some of the initial words. Approximately six chairs stood empty after the first round, their occupants having walked slowly down the stage stairs back to class or to auditorium seats watch the rest of the competition.

At the end of round two, 12 seats had emptied. The quickened pace of the competition seemed to make students uneasy as the third round progressed leaving only four contestants remaining.

Spelling bee pronouncer, Carla Brauer, suggested that the group take a five-minute break. This gave the contestants enough time to get hugs and high-fives from parents.

Some exclaimed, “I can’t believe I made it this far!” and parents provided “Good lucks and “I’m proud of yous.”

“I think it is evident that the kids really enjoy it because they don’t have to participate. So these are kids, especially the older kids, that want to do it. And it’s good for brain activity,” said Brauer.

“This is one more academic thing that they can feel like they can achieve,” said Charlotte Dorwart, the county bee coordinator.

All four remaining contestants, Abbe Draper, Hanna Ringleman, Jordan Cook and Salena Petluri recited the letters of their words in the fourth round correctly, making bystanders wonder how long this battle might continue.

However Petluri’s hands went to her face as one-by-one the three girls before her in the fifth round were unable to correctly spell the words given to them.

Though a tad bit of nervousness was apparent on her face, it soon turned to excitement when she was given the word renegade to spell. She assertively announced each letter to the word she was clearly familiar with and then ended the competition by spelling the word Olympian.

Sidney Middle School student Hanna Ringleman won the position of alternate to Petluri in a spell-off after the initial competition.

Petluri’s parents, Kotiswamy and Vije Petluri, were in attendance along with Petluri’s younger sister and other fans of the speller. The parents said that they were extremely proud of their daughter.

Petluri will represent Cheyenne County when she participates in the Midwest Spelling Bee put on by the Omaha World Herald this March 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Creighton University Harper Center.